You can cross off the city’s top three museums within just a couple of blocks — the ROM, the Gardiner and the Bata are all really close to each other.

A number of museums don’t open on Mondays, but most do have a late-opening evening, which is almost always free of charge.

Toronto’s beaches are more for sunbathing than swimming, but there are a few — notably Toronto Island’s four beaches, Cherry Beach and the four beaches that comprise “The Beach” in the east end of town. Check whether your beach of choice is safe for swimming first - the city tests the water from June till August.

How I’ve picked my things to do:

This is a smorgasbord of things that I loved on my first visit to the city, plus a selection of off-radar ones I’ve discovered over my years living here.